Kevin Johnson (30-7-1, 14 KOs) says he will break Kubrat Pulev (24-1, 13 KOs) down and make him quit when they meet for the WBA Intercontinental Heavyweight title on Friday night at the Arena Armeec in Sofia, Bulgaria.

‘’Pulev doesn’t scare me,’’ said the American heavyweight. ‘’He’s a cartoon character. He might look serious but that’s because he’s an ugly dude, and ugly people always look serious. Whereas, people like me always have a smile on their face. It is what it is. I can smile in person and I can whoop ass in the ring.

‘’On Friday, I’m going to break him down and make him quit. He can take a lot of shots but there will come a time when he’s going to say enough is enough. It might be in the fifth round, it might be in the seventh or it might be in the twelfth. It doesn’t matter; all that matters is that I’m taking that belt home!’’

Johnson can expect to face a partisan crowd in Sofia cheering for their national hero, but the 37 year-old plans to use this to his advantage, as he looks to rejuvenate his career with a victory over the IBF mandatory challenger.

‘’The louder they are and the more they cheer for him, the more energy I’m going to get,’’ he says. ‘’They may be shouting his name but I’m stealing that energy, and when his ass loses, what are they going to say then? People better start supporting me now because I know I got fans here. In fact, the president of Bulgaria called me personally and told me I should whoop his ugly ass!”

Tickets for the WBA Intercontinental Heavyweight title clash between Kubrat Pulev and Kevin Johnson are available online via http://www.eventim.bg.